My Guardian 2: Fire, Ice, and Darkness
by 150Songs
Summary: It's been a year and a half since Melody became a guardian. Their time of peace ends when a fire spirit collapses at North's front door, and it's somehow related back to Pitch. The Boogie Man rises with a darker plot that threatens everyone. Challenges rise and Melody's relationship with Jack is tested. Can they get through them, or will Fire, Ice, and Darkness tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey Guys! Here's the much-awaited sequel to My Guardian! I'm so glad summer's here so I can get writing again! This is only my second fanfiction so all critics and suggestions are welcome! I'll try to update once a week but June is really busy for me. #tobeseniorprobs Love you guys! Happy Reading :)**

 **Disclaimer: I sadly don't own Rise of the Guardian characters**

Chapter 1

I've always considered life to be like a dance: full of ups and downs and twists and turns and leaps and falls. You gain momentum and power to make that leap, so when you jump, you soar. Then gravity pulls you down and you land on the floor. What now? Well, you can either sit there and accept the fact that gravity won't let you fly, or you can get up and try again.

Always get back up. Always try again. Keep trying for that leap. Chase your dreams. Live life to the fullest. But . . . Don't get too hopeful. Don't get too comfortable. Because all it takes is a second, and your world can come crashing down. Everything you know, everything you love, gone. And you'll find yourself on the floor.

 **Melody**

I wake from my dreamless sleep as the morning light shines through my window. Blinking the last bits of sleep away, I notice Lisa smiling at me with a tray of breakfast. There are streamers and balloons in my room, too."Wha-"

"Happy 16th Birthday!" Lisa says. It finally clicks and I smile.

"You didn't have to do all this, Lisa." I say. I sit up and stretch.

"Of course I did! It's your sweet sixteen and we're going to celebrate whether you want to or not." Lisa says. She sets down my food on my lap. "I made your favorites: chocolate milk and chocolate chip pancakes. I'm not the best cook but I feel pretty confident in these. Oh, and I asked for the day off from Cupid so we could spend today just hanging out. Like we used to." I can't help but smile.

"Thanks Lisa. You're the best."

"I know." Lisa says. I laugh. My cat, Silver, jumps onto the bed. She must be curious at the smell of food. Lisa picks her up and cradles her. The gray tabby purrs and nudges Lisa's hand.

"So, what have you got planned today?" I ask. I take a sip of my milk and then dig into my pancakes.

"Well, since today is national dance day back in America, I figured we would have a dance themed party here in Athens. Although it will have to be here in our hideaway in the clouds instead of out in public." I nod. "Oh! And I found a hidden cove so we can go swimming without people around. The water is going to be perfect today. So this morning you're dad and mom are going to come here and hang out with us. After lunch we go swimming. And then, the party tonight! I have all the decorations, so all we have to do is put them up. Lucky for me I have the guardian of inspiration to help me." I laugh.

"Sounds great. Have you heard anything from Jack?" I ask. Jack is the best boyfriend I could ask for. But, we are both guardians. He has a job to do. Winter has to come first. Plus there is the polar ice caps issue. So I just wait for the next time he can come. Plus, I have my job of inspiring the children of the world. I just . . . I just wish we could spend more time together.

"No. I haven't heard anything. I'm sure he'll make it tonight." Lisa says.

"Yeah." I finish my breakfast and Lisa leaves so I can get dressed. I sit and look around at my room. It's such a beautiful design. The Greek pillars make it look like a throne room and the sky blue walls give it an angelic look. I head to my closet and get dressed. I pick out my signature blue tank top with Greek infinity squares on it. I put on my jeggings and tie my blue scarf around my waist. After brushing through my hair and putting on my sandals I head downstairs.

I walk down the long, white hall, passing Lisa's room, which is across from mine. I walk over to the balcony and look down. The chandelier sparkles from the first rays of sunlight. Clouds pass by our giant window. I walk down the stairs and into the kitchen. Lisa is cleaning up the dishes she used to make breakfast. I jump in and start drying the clean ones.

"Wearing your signature outfit today?" Lisa comments.

"You bet. It was designed by my professional stylists, and my mom."

Lisa laughs. "I know what looks good on you." She says. I feel a tingling in my arms and a bell rings.

"Guardian time." I say with a smile. I set the dish down and run to a room on the other side of the house. I open the grand white door and see the familiar pedestal and crystal ball. I close the doors behind me and walk over to the ball. The room lights up and the crystal glows. I touch the crystal and the wall in front of me sparkles and lights up.

I watch as the picture forms. A little boy is standing in the driveway with a basketball. He shoots the ball at the hoop but it bounces off the board. He sits down defeated. I scroll through the crystal and find his favorite basketball star. I play the memory of him watching the player on TV in his mind. I can feel his spirits lifting. He gets back up and grabs another ball. He shoots and makes a basket. He cheers loudly and runs inside. The screen changes and shows the little boy running in and telling his parents. His dad picks him up and they cheer all around the house. The picture fades and the crystal dims.

This is the best part of being me, besides my job of being the demi god of dance. Being able to inspire children to keep going and keep dreaming just makes my day. I love what I do. I can't believe I do this sometimes. It's too good to be true. Just last year I was an insecure high school girl. Now I'm a Guardian.

I head to the living room where Lisa sits with her coffee. She pats the spot on the couch next to her and I sit down.

"Ready for your present from yours truly?" Lisa asks.

"Go for it." I say. She hands me a large rectangular box in link wrapping paper. I sit it in my lap. I tear off the paper and open the box. I pull out a painting of a dancer. In the background it says "Dance with your heart and your feet will follow".

"Oh Lisa. It's beautiful!" I say.

"Isn't it? I saw it online and I knew you would love it. We can even hang it up in your studio." I set it on the coffee table in front of us.

I hug Lisa tightly. "Thank You."

"You're Welcome." We pull away. "Now, you want to join me for a little archery before your parents get here?" Lisa asks.

"Definitely."

 **Jack**

With another blast of ice my job is finally done for the day. I sit down on an ice berg and take a look at my work. The ice that was melting in this area is frozen once again. I take a deep breath of the arctic air. I love the weather up here. But geez this work really wears me out.

I suddenly remember Melody. I check my watch. Oh shoot. I'm late! I jump up and fly South as fast as I can. Mid-flight, I check my hoodie pocket. Oh, good. It's still there. Now to book it. "North Wind! A little help?" I call out. The wind picks up behind me and I hurry on to Athens.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long. I've been busy this summer. So here's chapter 2! Happy Reading! :)**

Chapter 2

 **Melody**

A large smile is on my face as Dad steps out of the portal. He stumbles a bit and I quickly grab his hand to steady him. "I've got it, I've got it. Whew, just gotta steady myself here." Dad wobbles a few moments, then stands up straight once he's gotten used to the movement. The portal fades and dad looks around. He whistles. "I still can't believe the place you guys put together with your mom's help. It blows my mind every time I come and visit." He takes a step and wobbles a moment. "Although, the movement takes these old bones a while to get used to."

I laugh. "Sit on the couch, then. And quit acting like you're old. You're only 43." Lisa, Dad and I sit down together. I give him a hug. "It's good to see you again. It's been too long."

"It's only been three months since you visited me back in New York." Dad argues playfully.

"Three months too long."

He laughs and kisses the top of my head. "Happy Birthday, sweetie."

"Thanks, Dad." Lisa smiles at us and then goes to check on the tea.

"Have you heard from you mother?" Dad asks.

I shake my head. "No I haven't. I know Mom said she'd try to make it, but she should have been here by now."

"You know how busy she is. And then she has your grandfather's rule on top of that."

"Yeah." I sigh. I haven't seen her since she helped us build this house in January last year. I really miss her, but I know it's not her fault. I just wish I could do something about it.

"Don't be bummed, kiddo. She might be able to come this time."

"Maybe." Lisa calls for us and we head to the kitchen. As we eat our brunch, we relive memories of when we were younger. When Santa was just something made up for kids. When I thought nothing of my dreams. When the boogie man was a tall tale that didn't scare us. When it was just me, my dad, and Lisa. When life was simple.

They are nice memories, but I love the life I have now. The adventure and friendship makes any danger I have to face worth it. I'll battle Pitch every day for the rest of my life if that means I'll have Jack and my mother by my side.

We're laughing about my first attempt at baking when the doorbell rings. I jump up and run to the door. I open it expecting my mother, but what I get is a letter with wings floating by my door. It flies into my hands and I sigh. "Note from Mom." I shout over my shoulder. I look out at the clouds. "Thanks Hermes." With that I close the door.

I sit back down on the table and read Mom's note. I can tell it's her before I even read who it's from because of her hand writing, a neat, pretty cursive. She sends me letters often, so we can keep in contact. I open the letter and read out loud:

 _Dear Melody,_

 _Happy 16_ _th_ _Birthday! I'm so proud of you and all you've become! I'm so sorry I couldn't come. I wish I could celebrate with you, but father has kept us all busy this week. Don't let my absence ruin your special day. Enjoy your time with your father and your friends! I hope to see you soon!_

 _P.S. Dad has our gift. Enjoy!_

I look up and Dad hands me a plastic card. "Wow!" I exclaim. It's a gift card to a really fancy boutique and spa down in Athens. On the back it says how much it's worth. "Dang! This is like getting 200 dollars back in America!"

"No way!" Lisa exclaims.

Dad smiles. "We thought you'd enjoy that. It's your 16th, why not go shopping? Get some new clothes, have a massage, get your hair done."

I give him a hug. "Thanks Dad." Lisa can barely contain her excitement.

"Forget swimming. Let's go shopping!" She squeals. Dad and I laugh.

"Let's do it! You should come too, dad!"

"I don't know-"

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" We both say.

He sighs. "Alright, alright."

Three bags of clothes later, mainly Lisa's, I'm getting my hair done while invisible Lisa runs around like a kid in a candy shop. "Oh my goodness is the new hair spray! And it smells like Lavender!" I smile. She's so funny. And she's been doing this the entire time.

"Alright, miss Melody. I think you're ready." My stylist turns off the blow dryer and turns me around. "What do you think?"

Lisa runs over, and proceeds to squeal. I smile again. Standing up, I move my hair around and feel the ends. "I love it." I say. My blonde hair now has electric blue ends! "I feel tougher. Like a rebel."

My stylist laughs. "It looks good on you, _rebel_." Lisa is trying very hard not to touch it. Floating hair would freak out the people here. I move it over my right shoulder. "I'll be right back." The stylist says.

"Your hair looks awesome!" She says. I smile and nod subtly.

Out of nowhere, images flood my head. I can only see a deep and endless darkness. Then flashes of red and blue go across my vision. My head pounds and I fall back into the chair. It takes a minute for the darkness to fade enough for me to realize I'm still in the salon.

The headache goes away and I notice Lisa is talking to me. "Melody? Melody are you okay?"

I stand back up and look around the room. Thankfully no one saw. I turn back to Lisa. "I'm fine." I whisper. "Sudden prophecy."

Her eyes widen. Before Lisa can speak, the lady comes back. "Here. This shampoo is made so it won't wash out color." She hands me a bottle of shampoo and I place it in my purse.

What were those images? Black and red and blue? That's not a lot to go on. I rub my arms to get the chills to go away. The feeling of dread remains. This is bad. I've never had a prophecy when I'm awake.

"Mel?" Lisa pulls me from my thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, right, I'm coming." I head to the check out and try to put it out of my mind. I won't let this spoil my birthday.

 **Jack**

I land on the mountain and just lay down to catch my breath. Whew. I made it. I check my watch. "Shoot! I gotta hurry!" I jump up and run over to the rock I hid it behind. "Okay there's the blanket . . . and food. Aaand that's there. . . I think I'm good." I look at the sunset. "I gotta get this set up!"

I hurry and lay out the blanket. "Nail this in so the wind doesn't get it. Set the food here and this goes here and this goes here . . ." I ramble on as I set up our date. I hope she likes this. Even if it is sloppy because I'm in a hurry. "There." I take another look at the scene. "Everything's in place."

I turn to leave and see the sun has almost set. I shout in frustration and rub my face. "Uhg I'm gonna be so late." I grumble into my hands. "I'm too busy for my own good. Fricken humans and global warming." I freeze. Oh no. I rub my chin again. "Aw come on not again. I just shaved like two days ago!" I sigh. This has been an interesting day. Oh well. I gotta go. I grab my staff and fly for Melody's house.

I hate having to deal with this facial hair thing. It was so much similar when I was stuck as 15. Now I've gotta deal with this aging thing. I look at the moon that's starting to appear. I wonder if he's come any closer to fixing it.

 _I'm sorry, Jack._ I hear Manny say.

"It's okay. It's my fault. If I hadn't rushed the process of getting my powers back, I would have gotten all of Jack Frost back. I can work with this aging until we figure something out. For me and Melody. Since she's technically still human and all."

 _I still wish I could figure this out sooner._

"Don't worry yourself with this. You have more important things to do." I say.

 _This is just as important as everything else._

I laugh. "Really? What about keeping an eye on Pitch?"

 _Pitch has been sulking for the past year and a half while attempting to scare kids. He's the least of my worries. But I am keeping an eye on him. I always am._

"Good. Hey, Manny?"

 _Yes Jack?_

"Thanks for talking with me." I think back to those 300 years of silence and how much I longed for conversations like these.

 _Of course. Now go be with your girlfriend, lover boy._

"You don't have to tell me twice." I smile and put an extra burst of speed in my flight. In my past life, I didn't have a father. But now I do. With bounce in my flight I sail over pink and purple clouds into the fiery sunset.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the long wait. This summer has been busy. I can't believe summer is almost over! Anyways here's the next chapter. Happy Reading!**

Chapter 3

 **Melody**

"I'll look into this problem, Melody. Don't worry about it too much okay? We'll figure this out." North ruffles my hair.

"Thanks." With a smile he heads out on his sleigh and I close the door. I sigh. That's the last of the guests. I duck under some streamers and walk into the living room. The colorful lights are still going. Lisa and Bunny are sitting on the couch eating more of the cake. Well, Lisa is eating cake. Bunny is eating the carrot sticks.

"Ripper party, Mel. You and Lisa did a great job." Bunny munches on another carrot.

"Thanks. I'm glad you could make it." I reply. I pick up a few cups off the table.

"No problem, mate." Lisa snuggles next to Bunny.

"You guys are too cute." I comment with a smile. Lisa laughs.

"Yeah, I'm the cute one." Lisa says.

"Not on yer nelly." Bunny teases. "You are the gorgeous one." Lisa giggles and I can't help but smile. They are so cute. Jack flashes in my mind and my smile disappears. I try to hide my disappointment but Lisa notices

"Hey, I'm sorry about Jack." Lisa says.

"It's fine. He's just really busy." I say mainly to convince myself.

"I'm sure the show pony's on his way. If not I'll kick his bum for letting you two down." Bunny says.

"Thanks, mate." I say mimicking his accent. We laugh. I put the dishes in the sink and then head upstairs to get ready for bed. I take a bag full of the gifts with me.

The door to my room opens and I set my bag down with the other gifts by my dresser. I don't even bother with turning on the light. I lay down on my bed. Looking out the window, I watch the stars come out. Silver jumps up onto my bed and lies down on my pillow above my head. I fiddle with my ring. As I run my finger over the snowflake I picture that night. Jack was holding me close as the snow falls outside. It was the best Christmas ever. Gosh I miss him. If I could have one birthday wish I would wish for Jack to show up right now.

My window starts to frost over. I sit up. Something writes in the frost. "I'm sorry, I'm late. Too late for a date?" I laugh and open my window. Jack flies in with flowers.

"There she is. My beautiful snowflake." Jack says. I'm smiling so much my cheeks hurt.

"Oh Jack, I missed you!" I pull him into a tight hug. He laughs and holds me close. I breathe in the smell of his frost covered hoodie. Jack strokes my hair.

"I missed you more. Happy birthday, Melody. I'm so, so, so, so, so, sorry that I'm late." Jack says.

I pull away. "I'm just glad you're here." I say. I can't stop smiling. Jack gently kisses my check.

"So, how about that date?" Jack asks.

 **Jack**

With Melody in my arms, the wind carries us down below the clouds. We fly over Athens, watching the night take hold on the city. Then the city falls behind us as we head to the mountains. I spot the grassy clearing of a cliff facing the Mediterranean and fly down there.

We land and I let Melody down gently. She smooths down her wind-blown hair and then takes my hand. I lead her to the spot. She turns on the lantern.

"Oh Jack. This is perfect." Melody says. I have a blanket spread out and a telescope set up. So, we can sit together and look at the stars.

"I thought you would like it. I know you love looking at the stars now that the city lights of New York don't mess up the view. So, I thought we could star gaze toge- . . . Melody your hair!" I exclaim.

"What?"

"It's blue!" I exclaim.

She looks at the ends. "Oh, right. I almost forgot. So I dyed the ends today."

I stare at her hair in shock. "Melody Lillis, the shy teen dyed her hair blue?" I tease.

She laughs. "Yeah. I just thought it would be cool. A nice change, you know? And that's not me anymore. I've gotten more confident."

"It looks great." I manage to say. I feel myself blushing. She looks really good.

"Thanks." Melody gives me a big smile. "Now come on. I want to check this out." Melody pulls me over and we sit down on the blanket. I dim the lantern and Melody looks through the telescope. "Oh look, it's so cool." Melody waves me over. I look through the telescope and see a blue star.

"Yeah, like an ice crystal." I say. I lay down on the blanket and Melody lies next to me. I put my arm around her and she lays her head on my chest.

"Look," She points to a constellation. "It's Hercules." Melody traces it and I see it.

"Yeah, I never understood how you get a man out of that." I say. She laughs.

"Oh, and Scorpio." Melody points out another constellation. "And Draco."

"There should be a musical constellation for you." I say

"Well, there is Lyra, the harp. I love that one." Melody says. She sighs. "Thanks for doing this Jack. This is really nice."

"No problem, snowflake." I say with a smile. She shifts and I feel it in my pocket. "Oh, I have something for you." We sit up and I brighten the lantern. I dig in my hoodie pocket and pull out a small box. Melody takes the blue box and opens it.

"Jack." Melody breathes. She smiles and pulls it out. The necklace sparkles when the lantern light hits it. Melody lays it on her palm. The charms are a treble clef and a snowflake. "It's beautiful."

"Here." I take the necklace. She turns around and I put it on her. I fix her blonde and blue hair. It goes great with her lyre necklace. She sits down next to me and I put an arm around her. Melody turns to me.

"Thank You." Melody says.

"Your Welcome, milady." I reply. She smiles. I lean in and kiss her. No matter how many times I do, it always feels like the first time. She leans in and kisses me back. I hold her close. After a tender moment we pull away and Melody and I sit together just watching the stars. This is all I could ever want, and all I will ever need.

 **Melody**

I jolt awake with a scream. Jack is lightly shaking me and calling my name. I'm panting and sweaty. My heart is pounding and I can't catch my breath. It takes me a minute to come back to reality.

"It's okay. It's just a dream. I'm right here." Jack pulls me into his arms. He strokes my head as I try to calm down. Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream. My breathing finally slows.

"I-I'm okay now. Thanks." I say.

He pulls away so he can look at me. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Thanks."

"Anytime." Jack pushes a stray hair behind my ear. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I sigh. "I . . . I don't remember. I can still feel the fear and the panic. And my arm was . . . Uhg I can't remember. It was so painful though."

Jack kisses my forehead. "It's okay. I was just a dream. You and I are both safe."

"But it's not a dream. This is one of those prophecies."

"Is this the first dream in a while?"

"No. Well, yes. But I had a vision during the day this morning about this same thing-"

"During the day?"

I nod. "It was while I was getting my hair done. It was me and Lisa left in the room and it just hit me. All I could see was black with flashes of red and blue across my vision." I describe.

"Like police sirens?" Jack asks.

"Sort of. I don't know. It was really vague." I sigh. "I talked to North and he said he'd start researching. Jack, I'm really worried. Is this going to be so bad that I need a warning while awake?"

Jack pulls me into another hug. "Melody, it's okay. We'll get through it. Together. These are supposed to help us, give us a heads up. Don't worry about it, snowflake. We'll talk with North about it and make sure we're prepared. It's going to be alright. Okay?"

"Okay." I sigh. He's right. I shouldn't freak out so much about this. The prophecies are supposed to help, right? We'll be prepared. But I still can't shake this feeling, one that I haven't felt since that day a year and a half ago. Fear.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Jack**

Melody finally calmed down enough to fall back asleep, thankfully. She's had a long day and needs some rest. I sigh and pull her closer to me. Her blonde and blue hair frames her sleeping face. With my arm wrapped around her and her head on my chest, I stare up at the stars. I drill the moment into my head, because I don't know when I'll see her again.

I sigh. I hate how busy I am with controlling global warming. It hurts her as much as it hurts me when I'm gone for so long. I just wish there was some way to get the humans to stop ruining the environment. I can only keep it at bay for so long.

Suddenly, I see lights flash in the sky. "The northern lights?" I watch the rainbow colors flow across the night sky as my mind scrambles to figure out why North needs us. I nudge Melody awake. "Mel, we got to go."

"Hmm?" She murmurs. I laugh a little at her sleepy state.

"Come on. I'll carry you, sleepy head." I wrap her up in our blanket and pick her up bridal style. Hopefully the blanket will keep her warm as we travel north. Melody mutters something about five more minutes and she snuggles into me. I laugh and smile. "You're adorable." I kiss the top of her head and then take off. The Wind surrounds us and pushes us forward. What could this be about? Pitch?

 **Melody**

Jack and I arrive the same time as Bunny and Lisa. Bunny heads straight for the fireplace while we join the others. He mumbles stuff under his breath about cold.

"What's up North? Everything ok?" Jack asks.

"Hush, you'll wake her." North says.

"Her?!" The four of us say at once. North gestures to the couch. Lying there is a teenage girl. She is wearing all back, but her clothes are torn and worn out. Her fiery red hair is cut short into a pixie cut. She looks pale and tired. The poor girl is covered in bruises and scratches. And it looks like she has a fever.

"What happened?" I ask.

"This girl showed up an hour ago. She just opened door and walked in. She practically collapsed when she got to me. The girl said 'help' then passed out." North explains. "I feel magic energy from her, but it's weak. I don't recognize her either."

"What if she was just created?" Lisa asks.

"Manny would have said something." Tooth explains as she fans the girl with her wings.

I sit down next to the girl. She looks like she is the same age as me and Jack. There's a small voice inside me that tells me to be cautious, but I push it out of mind. Stop being paranoid, I tell myself. She's not going to jump at you. Her face scrunches up in pain and she mutters something. I think the girl is having a nightmare. I reach out my hand and place it on her forehead. She's burning up! I channel encouraging waves into her. The girl's face relaxes, then tenses again. My magic isn't helping. Suddenly, she screams and jolts up. I jump and fall back off the couch. Jack catches me before I hit the floor.

She jumps up and a fire forms in her hand. We watch, shocked, as she leaps over the couch and stands away from us with balls of fire dancing in her palm. "Who are you? Where am I? Don't come any closer!"

All of our mouths drop. A fire spirit?! No way! Jack instinctively moves me behind him. The girl looks back and forth between us and the room around her as she tries to get her bearings. Jack steps forward, cautiously. The girl's fire burns brighter, warning him not to come any closer. "Hey, it's okay. We aren't going to hurt you." He says gently. Jack slowly sets down his staff as proof. "We want to help. My name is Jack Frost. What's yours?"

Her eyes widen at the sound of his name. "Jack Frost? I've heard of you." The fire in her hands extinguishes and she places her hands on her hips. "I'm at the right place, then." The girl looks around. "So this is The Pole." She looks back at us. "And all the Guardians: Santa Claus, guardian of wonder; the Easter Bunny, guardian of hope; the Tooth Fairy, guardian of memories; the Sandman, guardian of dreams; Jack Frost, guardian of fun-" She stops when she looks at me. "Ah, the newbie: Melody Lillis, guardian of inspiration. You must have changed your hair. He said nothing about blue ends."

"You know who I am?" I ask, surprised. Not a lot of people know me since I'm so new. Not a lot of people believe in me either.

"Yeah. He told me-" She looks away. Her fists clench and a fire flickers from her knuckles. "That snake would go on and on about you guys."

"Who?" Bunny asks.

"Pitch." She sneers. So much anger blazes in her hazel eyes.

In that second of silence, you could have heard a pin drop.

"Pitch?!"

"What?"

"No way!"

"He's back?!"

"We have to alert Man in Moon!"

"GUYS!" I shout. The chaos stops. "Chill OUT! Listen to what she has to say, and then we can go panic." After they hush, I turn back to the girl. "Can you tell us what happened? And who you are?"

She nods. "Well, my name is Celosia. As you guys can tell, I'm a fire spirit. I had been with Pitch for as long as I can remember. He cared for me and helped me grow in my power. But he wouldn't let me leave the lair. So when I told him I was leaving and that I wanted to see the world, he let his true colors show. He told me I was not allowed to leave, beat me, and locked me up. The more I resisted him, the more he beat me down. I realized the Guardians he went on about so much were the good guys, not him. So I waited until I had an opportunity, and took it. I escaped and went straight here. But it was really far away so by the time I got here, I was exhausted."

Celosia clenches her fists. "I knew I wouldn't be able to beat him on my own. So I came to you for help. And training. And . . . and to warn you." She looks up. "He's planning something big, but he wouldn't tell me what it was. He's not strong enough to attack now. We have time."

"How much time?" Jack asks.

"Three months maybe." She replies. Three months? There's something happening then. I can't remember what it is . . .

"Let's just attack him now!" Bunny exclaims.

Celosia shakes her head. "No. The hideout is really fortified right now. And he's strong, just not strong enough to be on the offense. I'm sorry I couldn't get more information."

"It's okay." Tooth says. "You did everything you could."

"And there's still more to do. Please train me! Under your influence, I can be strong enough to defeat him! I need to get payback for all those years. And to weaken him to a point that he can't do that to anyone else again." The air around her heats up as her passion blazes.

"Of course." North says. "But first, rest. You need medical attention." He gestures to Tooth and two Yetis.

"I'm fine. I've had worse. I want to start right away." She pushes away a yeti's hand. Start right away? This girl has some crazy endurance!

"No you're not." Jack says. He walks up to her. Jack lightly punches her arm and she clenches her teeth. "See? You're in pain. So go take care of yourself."

Celosia starts to protest, but bites her tongue. "Fine." She mumbles. The two yetis and Tooth take her out of the room. The rest of us are left to process everything.

I fire spirit? I didn't know a human one existed. I heard about sprites but not another human like Jack. I look at him. He's deep in thought. I wonder how he's taking all of this. Finding another spirit like him must be a lot to take in. Well, not exactly like him. Their magic is opposite of each other. How on earth did none of us know about another fire spirit?

Jack is the first to speak by addressing the elephant in the room. "So, a fire spirit. Did you know about her from Manny, North?"

He shakes his head. "Not in records. Nor did Manny tell me about fire girl. I'll talk to Man in Moon and check records again once sun is up."

"This also means the Pitch is back and stirrin' up trouble." Bunny says. He twirls his boomerang as he thinks. "The shelia's right. We need to start preparing for a fight. And from what it sounds like, training on our own won't be enough. And one of us has to train Cel . . . whatever her name is."

"Celosia." Lisa says.

I get an idea. "What if . . ." I start to say. "I don't know, maybe it will work." I mutter to myself.

"What's up, Mel?" Jack asks.

I sigh. "Ok, so, what if we train in pairs. But we switch every week. That way, Celosia gets training with all of us, even Lisa." I turn to face her. "You may not be a Guardian, but you're fantastic with that bow and arrow. And you won't stay out of the fight even if we order you to." She smiles and nods.

"You know it, girl. You can't go into a fight without me. I've got your back." Lisa says. I smile too.

Jack jumps up with excitement. "Great idea, Melody! I know when we trained together and combined powers, we got stronger together. Imagine if everyone could combine magic attacks with each other! I know Melody's sound waves can shatter my ice and make a bunch of shards that can attack more than one target. And imagine her doing that with a flame! Like her sound waves pushing it out further and Tooth's wings fanning it to help it grow." Jack rambles on a bit more to himself about different combinations and I giggle. He's cute when he gets excited like this.

"I like idea. Let's do it." North says. "I'll go make arrangements." Sandy follows him out.

I yawn and check my watch. It's nearly three in the morning. I lay down on the couch just to rest for a minute. The couch is really warm. I feel Jack sit next to me and place a hair behind my ear. Then, I drift off to sleep for the third time tonight.


End file.
